


thrilled to be here

by poindextears



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Annie's, Basically just a freshman comes out to dex, But first he observes some soft shit, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Captain Dex, Coming Out, Like when the frogs are seniors, M/M, OC Freshman, Originally Posted on Tumblr, POV OMC, Post-Canon, Samwell Is A Good Place To Be, The Frogs' Senior Year, Wholesome Friendship, because why not, the nurseydex is the backdrop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23633161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poindextears/pseuds/poindextears
Summary: It's the frogs' senior year, and one of the new freshmen on the team is gay. Little does he know that he has that in common with his captain.Or: a freshman sees Nursey and Dex together, then decides to come out to Dex. Wholesome content ensues.
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter
Comments: 38
Kudos: 388





	1. Annie's

**Author's Note:**

> Indulge me in these OC tadpoles for Nursey, Dex, & Chowder's senior year. I really just wanted to write Captain Dex being supportive and soft with his new taddies. [You can read more about the SMH class of 2021 on tumblr here.](https://sincerelyreidburke.tumblr.com/post/615124325383749632/oc-taddy-masterpost)  
> Also, this is in the CCU, like all my canon-universe fic. But Cromwell isn't in it. I know, we're all crying. He's there in spirit.  
> The title is an album title by the band Bailen, whose music I highly recommend for general listening!

Nando loves his classes.

He picked his schedule last spring, at the Samwell admitted students day, and, like, okay, he was a  _ little _ nervous about it, because how are you supposed to pick classes for a major that determines your job for the rest of your life when you haven’t even graduated high school yet?—  _ But.  _ He did a good job. Because his freshman fall semester schedule is the  _ shit _ .

Tuesdays are the best, and today is Tuesday, so his spirits are high. He gets out of Soc 101 at 10:30, and he has an entire, like, six hours before he even needs to start thinking about hockey practice. Hockey practice is one of the best parts of any day, by the way, because he gets to see his friends.

He can’t believe it. It’s the middle of October, and he  _ still _ can’t believe it. Walking across Samwell’s main quad after class, he takes it all in. He’s really here. He’s really in college. He’s almost two thousand miles away from home, and he misses Mama and his sisters a whole boatload, but he’s  _ here _ . He’s in college, and he’s studying sociology, and he’s playing D1 hockey, and he’s not sure he’s ever been happier.

He’s in such a good mood today, actually, that he thinks it necessitates Annie’s. He’s only been at Samwell for two months, but already he’s perfected his order. They make a mocha frappe with cinnamon that’s honestly the drink of the gods.

Okay, he reasons with himself. Annie’s it is. And then homework. Later. But first, Annie’s. He deserves this.

He’s going to gain his freshman fifteen solely because of Annie’s.

And then Dex will kick his ass. Nando isn’t  _ scared _ of his captain, exactly; he’s been in enough settings with him to know that Dex is a really nice guy, and he’s been instrumental in welcoming Nando to Samwell. But he’s also seen him on the ice, fiercely debating linesmen on bad calls and getting in scuffles and doling out checks to the members of opposing teams with particularly hateful chirps. He’s a great leader. Nando just isn’t so sure he’d want to get on his bad side.

He just. He really wants to impress the seniors, okay? They’re, like, the coolest guys ever.

Nando reaches into his pocket for his phone, but there are no new messages. He checks his thread with his boyfriend, but Nate left him on read at 9:21 this morning and hasn’t gotten back to him yet— which he never  _ used _ to do, really, not before Nando left for Samwell. He’s trying not to read into it too much. Nate is busy, after all. He’s at U of Arizona, much closer to home, doing big things. He doesn’t have as much time to text, and that’s okay.

Or— at least that’s what he’s been telling himself.

It’s okay. He tucks his phone away. Nate will get back to him eventually. Even though the gaps between his replies have been getting larger… and larger… and larger.

He knew coming to college with a long-distance boyfriend would be  _ hard _ , but. Jeez.

His team doesn’t know about Nate. Not really. He would be lying if he said that his decision to come play for Samwell wasn’t influenced at least a little by Eric Bittle and the 2016-17 team, being in the news so much for the first openly gay NCAA captaincy. He was reading the stories before he even got his acceptance letter. He’s not sure he’s ever felt more inspired by another hockey player.

And besides, this is  _ Samwell _ . It’s one of the queerest colleges in the country, on top of the hockey team’s reputation for acceptance. So really, he shouldn’t be afraid to tell his new teammates he’s gay.

It’s just. Hockey is hockey. And Eric Bittle graduated.

He has some surviving memories from, well, an entire childhood of being a queer, Latino hockey player, and it wasn’t a fun time.

He’ll get there. Eventually.

And besides, he tells himself, he isn’t worrying about that today. Today he’s going to Annie’s, and getting a frappe. The sun shines on his face, and the trees are turning every color.

It’s a good day.

*

Nursey loves his boyfriend.

For a number of reasons, but especially right now. He’s about three sweet-talking sentences away from getting Dex to share a bite of his French toast. They’re tucked into the corner booth at Annie’s— their booth, really; they’ve staked a claim to it every time they come here ever since they got back to campus for senior fall. It’s tiny, and barely spacious enough for two 6’2 hockey players to squeeze themselves into, but Nursey sits across from him and their knees press together under the table, and all is right in the world.

“Look, babe,” Nursey says, spreading his hands out on the table. “All I’m saying is, that little crust right there with the powdered sugar—” He points to the bite of toast in question on Dex’s plate. “I’ve got my eye on it.”

Dex rolls his eyes at him. There’s a smile on his freckly face, and in the warm light of the dining room, he’s every autumn color imaginable, fiery red hair to plaid, maroon button-down to amber eyes like pools of sunlight. For the past three years, Nursey spent his entire friendship with Dex trying to train himself  _ not _ to stare, to rid himself of the wants for a boy he never thought he could have. This summer, that changed. Now he  _ can _ have him,  _ does _ have him— so he can look. Why not look?

Dex is a fucking  _ catch _ .

He’s pointing with his fork toward Nursey’s own plate. All that remains of what once was there are a few whole-grain breadcrumbs. “I don’t know if you’d noticed,” Dex says, “but you had your own food.”

“ _ Will _ ,” Nursey groans. “I’m still  _ hungry _ . I just want to  _ taste _ it.”

Dex cuts into his last stack of toasts, and Nursey glues his eyes to them. Annie’s does French toast  _ right _ — brioche bread with just the right amount of egg wash, pan-fried and then dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with syrup. Nursey is pretty sure his mouth is watering.

And Dex is right. He  _ did _ have his own food. But—

“It’s not my fault,” Dex continues, between bites of toast, “that you insist on getting hipster toast every time we come in here.”

Nursey puts a hand on his heart, like he’s been shot. “ _ Dexy _ , avocado toast is part of my  _ aesthetic _ .”

“Jesus Christ.” Dex sighs. “Why am I dating you?”

Nursey grins, rubbing his foot against Dex’s sneaker under the table. “Because you love me.”

Dex rests his cheek in one hand, and Nursey is suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to lean across the table and kiss each of his freckles, one by one. He watches Dex pass judgement over him, eyes lingering on him bemusedly, mouth curving up to the dimple on the left side of his face. For a few seconds, he’s quiet, and Nursey doesn’t break eye contact. He’s in love with that look in Dex’s eyes.

Then, finally, Dex stabs the crust Nursey has been eyeing with his fork, holds it across the table, and announces, “I hate you.”

“I know.” Nursey beams. Through the power of his charm, he’s getting exactly what he wanted. He knew it’d come to this, all along.

Dex feeds him the little nugged of powdered, syrupy crust, and it tastes just as overly sweet as the gesture is, and Nursey has never loved anything more. “ _ Mmmm _ ,” he groans as he swallows. “That shit is  _ delightful _ . Thanks, baby.”

“You’re a sweet-talker,” Dex mutters, still grinning, as he returns to his plate to finish it off.

“But you fall for it,” Nursey points out. “Every time. So who’s whipped in this arrangement?”

“Both of us,” Dex replies. His cheeks are flushed pink, but his smile remains.

“I tend to agree,” Nursey says, then reaches for his free hand and takes it in his own. He pulls it across the table, then plants a kiss on each knuckle, plus one, two, three of his favorite freckles. Dex’s hand, like the rest of him, is covered in them. Nursey has written enough poems about them to fill a book.

In fact, he maybe feels one coming on right now. He tucks the idea into storage in his brain for later, when he’ll inevitably wind up scribbling all over a notebook in a pile of leaves outside the Haus for two hours before practice.

God, he fucking loves this place.

He presses Dex’s palm to his own face; Dex’s fingers curl into the touch and caress his cheek. “Ah, my Will,” he hums. “Where would I be without my stolen bites of your French toast.”

Dex points his fork at him menacingly. “Don’t even  _ think _ about it,” he says. “That was your ration for the day. This is  _ my _ breakfast.”

“Hey!” Nursey beams, still holding his hand to his stubbly cheek. There are callouses all over Dex’s fingers. Before this, before Dex, he didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with a pair of hands. “Did I say anything about asking for another piece?”

“No.” Dex mops up the last of his syrup with the very last piece of his toast. His eyes twinkle like the sunrise as he looks up at Nursey. “But I know you were thinking it.”

Nursey kisses the inside of his palm. “ _ Rude _ .”

Dex laughs into his hand, smiling from ear to giant ear, and Nursey  _ really fucking loves  _ his boyfriend.

*

Annie’s is crowded.

It always is. Or at least that’s what Nando has inferred from his two months on campus. The line stretches almost, but not quite, to the door. He weighs the merits of long line versus mocha frappe— is it worth it?— but then watches two girls go by him holding their drinks, each with tall stacks of whipped cream atop them, and he decides, yeah. Definitely worth it.

So he waits in line. He should have texted Rhodey to ask if he wanted to come with him, but then again, Rhodey is still probably asleep. He’s pretty sure his roommate-slash-teammate is nocturnal.

The coffee shop is buzzing with students, a sea of maroon Samwell merchandise, groups of friends clustered around tables or piled into booths.

Nando grins at the scene. It’s such a postcard of college. Some are hunched over homework; others scroll through their phones or laptops, and still others are just talking, laughing, enjoying each other’s company. There are art kids, and jocks, and fierce academic types, and— oh, wait— is that Nursey?

Nando squints. Yes, it is! There’s no mistaking that green hat. It sits atop his teammate’s familiar head of undercut curls; Nursey is in the back booth, and he’s— oh! He’s sitting across from Dex.

Nando almost waves at his teammates, but a.) they’re not looking at him, and b.)... something he’s never seen before, he realizes, is happening.

Because the thing is, they’re not looking at him, but they’re not looking at anything  _ else _ , either. In fact, their eyes are all each other’s, as they sit mere feet apart across the small booth. Dex is resting his cheek in one hand, looking across the table at him, and Nursey is beaming at him, eyes crinkled and face soft, like— like—

— like he’s looking at the love of his life.

Nando widens his eyes. All of a sudden, he feels like he’s seeing something he isn’t supposed to be seeing. Nursey says something to Dex, who rolls his eyes but smiles at the same time. He proceeds to fork something off of his plate and hand the fork across the table to Nursey, who eats the bite of whatever Dex is offering clean off without hesitation.

Nando blinks.

This looks gay.

_ Really  _ gay.

His theories are confirmed when, a few seconds later, Nursey picks up Dex’s hand and kisses it several times. Nando looks away, lest he catch one of their eyes, but then again, it’s not like either of them seem to be planning to look anywhere but at each other anytime soon. His awkward aversion of his gaze only lasts a second, because when he sneaks a glance back at them, he has to marvel at how  _ soft _ Dex looks— his cheeks are freckled and pink, and he looks so at  _ ease _ with Nursey, like he has no other care in the world. It’s an extension of the dynamic Nando has already observed between them— they’re best friends, and he knows this. He just had no idea that they were  _ more _ than best friends.

Nando pauses in line. Logically, he knew that Nursey was queer. He’s open about it, proud of it, and he gave Nando and the other tadpoles the  _ no homophobic bullshit, this is Samwell, have your teammates’ backs _ speech on day one of preseason. It was a breath of fresh air for Nando, and he’s sort of been looking up to him ever since.

But Dex?

At the table, Dex has his hand pressed to Nursey’s face, like it’s a prized possession. Nando has never seen that soft smile on his captain before.

“Hey.” Someone nudges him, very lightly, in the backpack from behind. “Dude, you can move up.”

“Oh.” Nando snaps out of it— the line has moved on without him, and he’s left a gaping, empty space in the middle of it. “Sorry,” he says to the person behind him, and then steps forward.

He can still see Nursey and Dex from his new spot in line.

His stomach turns. He misses Nate, watching them together.

His phone still has no new messages, just  _ Read 9:21 AM _ .

But here are Nursey and Dex, in plain sight at Annie’s, canoodling— there is no better word for it— with each other, being a couple, despite all the odds, all the stereotypes, everything everyone thinks hockey players are supposed to be. Here are his  _ captains _ , the team leaders, seniors, sharing something that even in this brief glance Nando knows is precious beyond words.

He wonders, for a split second, if he should say something, the next time he sees them. Tell him he looks up to them. That he’s grateful to feel so safe here.

But watching them with their breakfast, he decides against it. He’s seeing this before they’ve chosen to reveal it to him, and that should happen on their own terms.

Nursey throws his head back in a laugh. Dex grins like he’s just won the Stanley Cup.

No, Nando won’t say anything. This is something too precious to intrude on.

For now, he smiles, and he waits in line for his frappe.


	2. The Haus

Really, Nando comes to tell himself, it should’ve been obvious.

He feels like his gaydar is broken or something. How has he been playing on a team with Dex and Nursey for almost two months, seeing them  _ all  _ the time, and yet it’s taken him an accidental sighting of them on a date for him to realize that they’re together? For shame. He’s usually able to detect queerness—  _ especially _ sports queerness— from a mile away.

But now that he knows, it makes sense. Nursey and Dex are attached at the hip— and Chowder with them, really, but Chowder has his girlfriend, Caitlin, too. They go everywhere together, from their passage to and from practices, to grabbing meals together, to constantly sitting next to each other— in the locker room, on roadies, at mandated team bonding Haus movie nights, and everywhere in between. They’re a package deal, a defensive pair, best friends. Dex and Nursey, Nursey and Dex. And not only are they best friends, but now Nando can tell that their behavior really  _ does _ blur the lines of platonic bro-ship. Between their not-so-subtle sharing of clothes, their constant touching and chirping, the smiles they exchange when they think no one’s looking. The way Dex laughs— before immediately springing into action to help— when Nursey trips over his own feet. The way Nursey smiles at him when he’s giving captain speeches.

No… there’s nothing platonic about Nursey and Dex.

Maybe Nando has just spent so much hockey time in the closet that being quick to no-homo his teammates is like a reflex.

At least now he knows.

But now he’s also being stupid. Because it’s been eight days since he stumbled upon the two of them at Annie’s, and he still hasn’t told them he saw them. He’s not going to; he’s resolved himself to that. If they want him and the other freshmen to know they’re dating, it has to be on their own terms.

So he’s not going to say anything about that. But today, eight days into Life Knowing His Team Has Other Queer Guys And Also They’re The Leaders, he  _ is _ going to say  _ something _ . It’s just going to be about himself.

He’s psyching himself out a little, as he walks up the front steps of the Haus after class. It’s a gross day outside, wetter and chillier than anything he’s used to back home. The rain is doing a number on the foliage, as it knocks a good handful of it to the ground in wet, floppy piles. Nando sidesteps puddles to avoid having to squelch around in his sneakers the rest of the day. When he gets through the Haus door, he’s never been more grateful for a warm, dry room.

Also, whoa, what’s that smell? He drops his backpack in the kitchen, where Ford is sitting at the counter with her laptop. Somehow, he thinks, Ford is, like, perpetually sending or receiving emails.

“Hey, Nando!” She gives him a bright smile, just as he spots the source of the delicious smell. There’s a plate of snickerdoodle cookies on the counter near Ford’s laptop— Dex’s doing, no doubt. “How’s your day?”

“It’s going,” Nando replies, and then reaches for the plate of cookies, raising his eyebrows. “Are these—?”

“Free to take? Yeah.” Still smiling, Ford pushes her glasses up. “Dex made them, like, two hours ago. I think they’re still warm.”

Nando doesn’t need to be told twice. He samples the cookie on the top of the batch, and holy actual fuck. It’s chewy and cinnamon-y, and it’s the food of the literal heavens. “OhmyGod,” he says, with his mouth full of crumbs. “That’s…”

“I know.” Ford nods knowingly as she looks back to her laptop screen. “It’s dangerous that they’re sitting right here. I’m surprised I’ve had the willpower not to eat the whole tray.”

Nando swallows and stares at the plate. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better snickerdoodle.”

“High praise.” Ford smiles. “Dex would be happy to hear it.”

Nando’s stomach knots up a little, and he glances warily toward the basement door. Showing up on the first day of preseason to learn his captain lived in the  _ literal basement _ was slightly terrifying. The thing is, though, that Dex’s basement room is the nicest part of the house. He should go on HGTV. “Is he, uh. Is Dex here?”

“Yeah, he’s downstairs,” Ford replies. “Do you need him?”

Nando keeps his eyes on the door for a moment more. Dex isn’t scary— or, at least, he’s not scary any _ more _ ; he was intimidating at first. And even though Nando got himself into this, and fully made this plan, and walked out of his way to the Haus in the pouring rain just to do what he’s about to do, he’s nervous. He’s maybe  _ really _ nervous. He has no idea why. This was his idea.

“Yeah,” he says finally, looking back at Ford. “But I, uh… maybe I’ll wait a minute.”

“Are you okay?” Ford asks, typing up a storm again.

“Oh, I’m fine.” Which, like, he’s a liar. But hopefully he will be fine, once he talks to Dex. He has no idea why he’s nervous. “I just want another cookie.”

Ford laughs.

He sits at the table for a minute more, polishing off two more of the cookies, and the only reason he doesn’t eat any more than that is because there are a limited number on the plate. Other people should have some. Ford types in comfortable silence, and he pulls his phone out to check his texts. Mama sent him an animated heart emoji that keeps changing colors, so he sends her back a gif of a dog hugging a duck.

There’s nothing from Nate. He hasn’t heard from him since last night. It’s a new record for longest time left on read, he thinks.

He’s trying not to freak out about it.

From behind him, he hears someone coming through the front door. “Hey, guys!” Before he even turns, he knows it’s Hops. “Ooh, what smells so good?”

“Dex is at it again,” Ford replies, as Hops comes up to the counter. He’s wearing his yellow hat, dyed a shade darker by the rain.

“ _ Yum _ ,” Hops says, all smiles. “Do you guys care if I do homework here?”

“Be my guest!” Ford tells him, and Nando slides off of his chair.

“I have to talk to Dex, actually,” he says, trying not to sound like too much of an idiot. “I should go downstairs. I’ll see you guys later.”

Hops waves. “See ya, Nando!”

“Have fun,” Ford remarks.

Nando crosses the kitchen, and faces down the basement door for a split second before he just bites the bullet and heads down the stairs.

The basement is weird and kind of spooky, or at least that’s what Nando thought of it, the first time he came down here on the taddy tour. When he learned that their captain lived in the basement, he wondered who would ever choose to live in the company of just a laundry machine and a vaguely intimidating furnace.

But Dex’s room is… well, it’s  _ swawesome _ . Nando has only really seen it from the outside, but there’s a loft bed in there, this chandelier thing, several plants, a whole  _ bathroom _ . He has no idea how Dex managed to build it.

The door isn’t closed all the way, but he should probably knock. He takes a deep breath before he does, then goes for it. “Dex?”

“Yeah?” Through the space where the door is ajar, he can see Dex sitting at his desk. He’s hunched over his laptop— coding, probably, although Nando can’t pretend like he knows how to speak compsci— and he’s,  _ ha _ , he’s wearing Nursey’s favorite green hat. It’s backwards on his head the way he wears all his own snapbacks, and yeah, Nando really has no idea how he didn’t realize they were dating sooner.

Dex looks over his shoulder. “Oh— come in, Nando.”

Nando takes a few tentative steps inside. The room is a masterpiece of interior design; it looks more like an upscale apartment than a college dorm. “Thanks,” he says, and curses himself for being so awkward at inconvenient times like this. He’s not even an awkward person. “I, uh. I was wondering if I could talk to you?”

“Sure, yeah.” Dex does something on his computer. “Just let me save this quickly.”

“Sorry to bother you,” Nando blurts.

“Oh, dude,” Dex says, eyes still on his screen, “you’re not bothering me, not even a little.”

“Oh.” He shifts his weight. “Okay.”

A brief silence falls, while Dex finishes up his coding business. Nando’s heart rate is a little accelerated. He doesn’t even remember the last time he set out to do this with someone, let alone someone whose approval he cared about quite this much.

“Those cookies were so good, by the way,” he tells Dex, “upstairs?”

Dex smiles, pulling back from his laptop. “Thanks,” he says, closing its top and then looking up. “My aunt Alice… she’s a cookie wizard. I’ve been using her recipe book. Are there any left?”

“Probably not anymore,” Nando replies. “Hops came in with homework, like, five minutes after I got here, and the way he reacted when he saw there was cookies… he’s probably gonna devour the whole plate.”

Dex chuckles a little. “Okay, cool. That’s what they’re there for.” He adjusts his hat, then, just a little more gently, adds, “You can sit, Nando. Hold on.”

He turns his desk chair— it’s one of those swivel ones— around so he’s facing the red armchair under his bed. Nando walks to it and sits, ducking his head to avoid bumping it on the bottom of the loft bed. How does Dex not constantly hit his head?

But also, a  _ reading nook _ ? This place is unbelievable. Whoever gets Dex’s dibs is lucky. And now that he sees it, or now that he’s looking, there’s so much evidence of Nursey in here— from the poetry books interspersed between Dex’s sci-fi titles on the bookshelf, to the fact that he can literally see one of Nursey’s favorite sweaters hanging in the closet with Dex’s endless supply of flannel and plaid. There’s even an empty bottle from one of those green tea drinks Nursey is obsessed with in Dex’s wastebasket.

Nando looks to Dex, who definitely knows his room is being gaped at. “How did you build all of this down here?”

Dex shrugs, surveying the space along with him. “Boredom and spite.”

Nando laughs. He’s heard stories of BasementGate 2016. Nursey tells the tale, laughingly, at least once per tipsy kegster.

Also, he’s sitting next to a plant. It hangs from the bottom of the bed, some kind of rainforest-y houseplant. He thumbs at a glossy leaf. “How do you keep these alive?”

“They’re not that high-maintenance,” Dex replies. “Speaking of which, I should water them, actually. Haven’t in a few days.” He pauses. “Remind me.”

“Okay,” Nando replies.  _ You’re stalling _ , he tells himself. He should just get to it. Lay it all out. It’ll be fine—

God he’s so  _ dumb _ . Why did he come here?

“Are you okay?” Dex asks, like he senses his distress. “You look a little preoccupied.”

“I… yeah, I—” Nando shakes his head. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” Dex leans forward in his spinny chair, resting his elbows on his knees like some kind of a therapist. “What’s going on?”

“I, uh,” Nando says. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Dex nods. “Problem on the team?”

“No, no, no. Not at all.” Nando pauses. “I’m really happy on the team,” he adds, uselessly.

“Oh,” Dex says. “Good. That’s good to hear.”

“I, uh.” He wants to die.

Dex, God bless him, is definitely hunting for the cause of this painful awkwardness. “Having… trouble adjusting?”

“Not exactly,” he replies, then buries his face in his hands.  _ Get it together!  _ “It’s… sorry, I’m being stupid.”

“You aren’t being stupid.” Dex is patient and stoic, but not nearly as terrifying right now as he was when Nando met him. “Take your time.”

Thank God for Dex.

“I just, uh,” Nando starts.  _ I can do this.  _ “I wanted to tell you something, actually.” He takes his hands away from his face and looks dead-on at his captain, like a man. “I haven’t told anyone else on the team yet,” he says, then corrects himself. “Well, no, I told Rhodey. But he’s my roommate, and it sort of just— happened. But.” He takes a pause. “I want you to know.”

Dex remains unbothered, even at his painful rambling. “Okay.”

Nando takes a long, deep breath.

“I, uh,” he says, and then steadies himself.  _ I can do this. _ “I’m gay?”

“Oh!” Dex pauses. He nods again. Nando searches his face for a readable reaction, but he doesn’t smile right away— but doesn’t  _ frown _ , either, not by a long shot. He’s contemplative, caring. “Oh. Okay.”

“Sorry,” Nando blurts, and wonders if he’s red in the face. “ _ Sorry _ . I just—”

“Nando, please,” Dex says, “don’t apologize. Thank you for trusting me.”

“Well, I thought— since, like, you’re my captain—” He craves the sweet release of death. “Not that you  _ had _ to know, or whatever, but that it’d be good to tell you— or something—”

“Look. Nando. Hold on. It’s okay.” Dex leans forward a little more. “Take a deep breath.” Nando listens. It’s an easier breath than the one prior. “I’m glad you’re coming to me with this,” Dex adds. He sounds gentler than usual. “Can I tell you something?”

“Yeah.”

Dex looks him in the eye. “I am, too.”

“Oh.” Nando knows this by now, obviously, or at least knew that he wasn’t straight— but to hear it right from him is something different entirely, something very, very comforting. He smiles a little. “You are?”

“Yeah.” Dex exhales a little. It sounds like it’s therapeutic for him to say it out loud. “And, uh, actually,” he adds, “Nursey and I… we’re together.”

Nando smiles for a second, wordlessly. Should he tell him? He should tell him now. He doesn’t want to lie, and pretend like he didn’t know. “I have a confession.”

Dex knits his brows, but he still looks gentle. “A confession?”

“Yeah.” Nando pauses. “I— I’m sorry; this is so dumb.” He twists his right hand around his left wrist. “I saw you guys?” he says. “Last week at Annie’s. I saw you, and I didn’t know if I should say anything, but I just— I’m sorry if that was an invasion of privacy, but I’m coming to you now because I, uh, I really wanted to tell you I look up to you? And I’m glad I’m on this team? Especially with you guys as leaders now, and I’m sorry because I didn’t mean to, like, pressure you into coming out to me—”

“Nando,” Dex says, gently. “Slow down.”

Nando exhales. “ _ Sorry _ .”

“Don’t be.”

“Okay.” He cringes at himself. “I just—”

“I didn’t feel pressured,” Dex says, in a voice that’s very reassuring all of a sudden. “I trust you, and it’s not like Derek and I were being super careful. We’re pretty okay being a couple around campus. And most of the upperclassmen on the team already know. You would’ve found out sooner or later.”

“Okay.”

“I’m glad you’re coming to me,” Dex adds. “It’s important that you know you can talk to me. Especially about stuff like this.”

This is going well, Nando realizes. He no longer wants to die. “Okay.”

“And if you’re worried about being accepted by the team… just… know you’re in good hands,” Dex says. “You never  _ have _ to tell anyone something about yourself if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, but if you choose to come out to the team, know that you’ll be welcomed.”

A weight lifts off of Nando’s shoulders. “Thank you,” he breathes.

Dex smiles, just a little. “Of course, Nando.”

“And—” He pauses and smiles too. He should just say it, right? They’re on the topic. “You and Nursey are really cute together.”

Dex laughs openly, and his freckled cheeks redden a little. “Thanks,” he says. “He’s…” He trails off a little, smiles again, and then shakes his head. “I sometimes still can’t believe it.”

“Didn’t… like, okay, I’m sorry if this is, like, bad memories,” Nando says, “but didn’t you build this—” He gestures around the room. “— to get away from him?”

But thank God, if it’s an offensive question, Dex doesn’t show it. He laughs instead. “Ayuh,” he says. “I did. And don’t worry; it’s fine.” He pauses, leans back in his spinny chair. “We used to butt heads,” he remarks. “My freshman year I swore I  _ hated _ him. Eventually we became friends, but... we had to share a room last year, his room upstairs? And I flipped out. I moved down here in November. Like, imagine sharing a room with someone you have a crush on?” He laughs like it’s cathartic to say out loud. “But me moving out actually, uh, did a lot of good for our friendship. And now it’s nice. Like, it’s good to have my own space.” He brushes something invisible off of his jeans as he looks around his room. “Dating someone doesn’t mean you can’t have your own space for when you need it.”

Nando nods. “That’s smart.”

“Sorry.” Dex grins. His ears are red, where they poke out from Nursey’s hat. “I, uh, got sidetracked. But yes, I did build this to get away from him. Originally.”

“And now he, like, lives down here,” Nando remarks.

Dex’s smile turns fond. “Something like that.”

Oh, to be Dex and Nursey, with free claims on each other’s rooms in a frat-slash-baking house.

And then, because for some reason he feels like sharing this information, he announces, “I have a boyfriend, uh. Back at home.”

“Oh, no way.”

“Yeah!” He grins like his entire internal monologue for the past two weeks hasn’t been  _ Nate isn’t texting you back because he hates you and long distance is too much and he’s going to break up with you _ . “Yeah, uh— we went to high school together. He goes to University of Arizona now. He’s gonna be a physical therapist.”

Dex smiles. “That’s great.”

“I have a picture, uh.” Nando digs into his pocket. “If you want to see?”

Dex leans forward in his chair again. “Sure.”

He grabs his phone and unlocks it. No new messages, except Mama putting the love-reaction on the gif he sent. Instead of going for his texting thread with Nate, he opts for his wallpaper, which is them on graduation day. “Oh, he’s cute,” Dex remarks.

“Yeah.” Nando smiles, but his insides feel weird and sad. “I miss him.”

“Derek and I did long-distance this summer,” Dex says, then pauses. “It’s hard. Sucks, sort of. But when it works, it works.”

“Yeah.” Nando puts his phone away. All he can think is  _ Read 10:45 PM.  _ “Yeah, I bet.”

For a minute, quiet falls. It’s not awkward. Nando can breathe easy again.

This went well. This was good. He’s glad he came to Dex.

This team is a good place to be.

“Do you, uh,” he asks after a moment. “I can get out of your hair now.”

“Hey, no, don’t worry,” Dex replies. “You can hang out.”

“But your homework?”

“Can wait.” Dex shrugs. “I have all afternoon.”

“Oh.” Nando pauses, smiles. “Okay.”

“Do you want something?” Dex gestures to his fridge, with its calendar and lobster magnet. “I think Derek just put more of his hipster iced tea shit in there, if that’s your thing. Also, I have cheese sticks.”

Nando laughs a little. “No, thank you.”

“You sure?” Dex walks to the fridge and pulls it open. “I have, like. A  _ lot _ of cheese sticks.”

“That’s okay,” Nando replies. “Thank you, though.”

Dex studies the inside of the fridge for a second, then reaches in, grabs one of said cheese sticks, and closes the door behind him. “ _ Oh _ , right. I have to water the plants.”

He leaves the cheese stick on his chair, then Nando watches as he pulls a tiny watering can out of nowhere, disappears into the bathroom for a second, runs the sink, and comes out to tend to his plants. He looks at them like they’re his children. Nando is tempted to ask if they have names, but chickens out. Maybe another time.

“Okay,” Dex says, when the watering is done and he puts the can away. “Hm. Uh, tell me about your classes.  _ Oh _ , here’s a good question.” He sits back down in his chair and raises his eyebrows, with a little grin. “Who do you have for freshman seminar?”

“Oh,  _ God _ ,” Nando moans, burying his face in one hand. “ _ Fucking freshman sem _ .”

He proceeds to tell Dex about all the joys of his experience in the class, a rite of passage for all Samwell freshmen, some kind of weird philosophy-English hybrid that Nando is convinced the school created just so students could bond over the pain of the experience. Dex nods knowingly as he laments, shares stories from his own freshman sem experience. Turns out they both had philosophy professors.

Nando is groaning about his upcoming midterm freshman sem exam when there’s a  _ thump, thump, thump _ down the stairs outside the half-open door. It sounds a little like someone is falling, or like someone is about to fall, and he raises an eyebrow in the direction of the noise. Dex looks to the door knowingly, like he predicted this, somehow.

And right on schedule, Nursey swoops through the door, green backpack on one shoulder and half a snickerdoodle in-hand. “ _ Babe _ ,” he’s saying, before he’s even really inside the room. “These cookies? Holy actual Christ.” Then Nursey halts, as he takes in the scene. “Oh. ‘Sup, Nando?”

But then, right after the greeting, Nando watches all the light leave Nursey’s eyes as he realizes what has just transpired. Nando can tell what he’s thinking. He called Dex  _ babe _ , in front of someone else, and Dex isn’t out. All of his chill threatens to evaporate.

Nando wonders if he should leave. Before he can, Dex waves, smiles at him. “Hey, Der.”

“Hey.” Nursey wavers in the doorway, like he’s testing the waters. Nando registers, vaguely, that under his jean jacket, Nursey is wearing a green plaid button-down that definitely doesn’t belong to him. More not-subtle clothes swapping.

Dex gets up and crosses to him, then gives Nursey a quick kiss hello. It looks like a nonverbal  _ it’s okay _ , a green light _.  _ Nursey unfreezes a little, as Dex asks him, “How was class?”

“It was… chill.” Nursey looks like he’s starting to understand. There’s no longer mass panic in his eyes. “Fine,” he adds. “Am I interrupting a talk?”

Okay,  _ now _ Nando should go. He has homework anyway. “No,” he tells Nursey, then stands up— reluctantly— from the red chair. It’s really comfy. “We just got finished.”

“You sure, man?” Nursey asks.

“I’m sure.” Nando grins at them. Dex is smiling right back, with one hand resting on Nursey’s arm. Nursey fumbles until he can take hold of his hand.

He sees them, and they see him, and it’s the nicest little thing that has happened to Nando in a long time. Without any acknowledgement of it, there’s a shared understanding here.

He loves his captains. And they love each other. And it’s… wow. It’s soft. Nando smiles.

“I’ll catch you guys later,” he says, with one hand on the door. “And thanks for the cookies, Dex.”

Dex grins. “You’re welcome,” he says, and then, as Nando is halfway out the door, adds, “Nando—” Nando looks over his shoulder.

Dex looks sincere and softer than he’s ever seen him. “I’ve got your back, okay?”

Nando smiles. He feels warm inside. “Thanks, Dex.”

He shuts the door behind him when he goes.

On the way out of the Haus, he takes one more cookie for the road.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey, [come hang out](https://sincerelyreidburke.tumblr.com/) on tumblr! You can ask me anything about the OC taddies. They're my children. Thanks for reading and meeting Nando! You might see more of him.


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